Protective supporter



Aug. 1, 1961 c. c. CULLEN ET AL PROTECTIVE SUPPORTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Jan. 12, 1959 INVENTORS.

CHARLES C. CULLEN DUNCAN WILLIAM 1951 c. c. C-ULLEN ET AL 2,994,322

PROTECTIVESUPPORTER Filed Jan. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

CHARLES C. CULLEN y WILLIAM R. DUNCAN J nW/L WC United States Patent F2,994,322 PROTECTIVE SUPPORTER Charles C. Cullen, 6555 Windermere Road,and William R. Duncan, 3724 Oascadia, both of Seattle, Wash. Filed Jan.12, 1959, Ser. No. 786,358 Claims. (Cl. 128-80) This invention relatesto a protective supporter and, more particularly, to a device forprotectively supporting ankles, knees and like joints of athletes,sportsmen and skiers.

It is an object of our invention to provide a joint protective supporterwhich may be worn and used as by skiers to avoid injury as well as tosupport a strained or painful joint after injury and without materiallyhindering or hampering the use of the joint. Another object has been theprovision of a tight-fitting relatively thin supporting device whichfunctions to allow normal flexing and torsion in a joint but to preventstrain on lateral ligaments by resisting and restraining inversive andeversive movements. A further object has been to provide a nonbulkysupporting device which is simple to construct, extremely strong andhighly functional for its purposes despite being very light in weight.These and other objects of the invention will become apparent during thecourse of the following disclosure in which are shown preferred andalternate stiffening devices embodying this invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a preferred form of our protective supporter;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary rear view of the device of FIGURE 1;

. FIGURE 3 is a partial perspective view of a collar used in the deviceof FIGURE 1;

- FIGURE 4 is a side view of an alternate device form of our protectivesupporter for the arch joints of a human foot;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of another alternate supporter device forthe ankle joint;

FIGURE 6 shows the mode of securing certain reinforcing wire-likeelements during manufacture of our supporter; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged crosssection view taken on line 7-7 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the supporter comprises a pair of braces 10 oneonly being shown in this side view. A brace 10 is formed of a pluralityof thin flexible stays 12 medially crossed between their ends andarranged fan-like on each side of the crossing 14. The stays 12 areshown seized together at the crossing which may be accomplished by a tiestrand 16 that is useful during manufacture. It will be noted that thefanned stays forming the brace are arranged so that a forward stay inthe one portion of the brace is oppositely or rearwardly located in theother portion of the brace, having passed through the crossing 14therebetween.

A pair of braces 10 are preferably employed in a supporter and they aredisposed juxtaposed to each other on opposite sides of the joint to besupported.

Each brace is secured at an end to a member which snugly engages theusers pedal extremity. In FIGURE 1 a heel cup 18 is provided to receivethe users heel and extension 20 extends forwardly to enclose the instepwhere it is secured snugly by lacing 22 in eyelets 23. The other ends ofthe braces, above the heel cup 18, are attached to collar 24 whichengages about the leg above the ankle joint and is secured snugly inplace by lacing 26 in eyelets 27. In the supporter shown in FIGURE 1,the fanned ends of each brace are secured in overlapping relation to theheel engaging cup 18 and the collar 24.

It is desirable both for securing the braces and for the Patented Aug.1, 1961 "ice comfort and protection of the user that the braces becovered. For this purpose each brace is placed in a thin, semi-rigidsheath 28 preferably formed of like panels of fabric or leathermarginally anchoredtogether and to the heel cup 18 and collar '24 bymarginal stitching 29. Laterally rows of stitching 30 also serve toanchor the braces and to maintain the fanned arrangement of the stays12.

Stays 12 are very satisfactorily formed of thin, stiff wire of the typecommonly known as piano-wire. Obviously materials having similarcharacteristics may likewise be used. As an aid in securing or anchoringthe stays 12 in place, the ends may be provided with hooks 13 as shownin FIGURE 4. A row of stitching 32 traversing the hooked ends anchorsthem and also serves to join the two parts of the sheath 28 together.

It is preferable that the crossings 14 of a pair of braces be disposedsubstantially on the transverse axis of the joint being supported. Inthe device of FIGURE 1 the crossings approximately coincide with theankle joint. In this relation the normal dorsal and plantar flexion ofthe joint is not restrained and is unrestricted. Likewise, due primarilyto the fan-like arrangement of the several stays 12 in the braces 10,the stays become compressiontension members upon the occurrence oflateral ormedial angulation, i.e. inversion and eversion, and externalor internal rotational movement of the foot relative the axis of the legis restrained and restricted.

By forming the heel cup 18 and collar 24 of leather or fabric, or both,they are strong yet thin enough to be Worn under a shoe or boot. This,of course, is facilitated by the thinness of the braces 10 at their endsdue to the fan-like arrangement of the stays 1 2. It will be noted thatat the crossings 14 the braces are relatively stiff and non-yielding butat the same time not unduly bulky. On occasion the inner surface of thecrossing may be padded to relieve or distribute any pressure as on anankle joint.

The alternative supporter device of FIGURE 4 includes collar 40 havingeyelets 41 on forward extensions 42 to receive lacing 43 whereby tosecure the collar snugly in place about the lower leg. Heel cup 44encircles the metatarsal arch portion of the foot and is secured bylacing 45 in eyelets 46. The sheathed braces 48 on opposite sides of thefoot are secured in place by stitching 49, as previously described.

A simplified form of stiffener device is shown in FIG- URE S. A brace50, used in pairs as described, is located to extend between the instepand a joint above the ankle. Each brace is formed of thin, stiff stays52 medially crossed and anchored at their ends in sheath 54. An elasticsnugly fitting stocking-like member 56 encases the foot above and belowthe ankle. The braces 50 are secured to member 56 by stitching 58'.

During manufacture of our supporter it is expedient to arrange the stays12 in the fanned arrangement and then to quickly secure them asarranged. This is accomplished by placing the fanned stays 12 betweenthin webs 60, 60 in sheet form and having pressure-sensitive or otheradhesive films on their facing surfaces. When webs 60, 60 are pressedtogether they anchor and secure the stays and hold them in place duringtheir further securing in the sheath panels '48. Webs 60, 60 thus becomeintegrated into the supporter and function to preclude dislocation ofthe stays 12 during use.

It will be observed that in the several forms of the invention shownthere is a pair of braces formed of a plurality of thin stiff stays,medially crossed and fanned on each side of the crossing. The bracesfunction somewhat in the manner of a hinge in that they permit freedorsal and plantar movement but resist rotational movement. Between likeends of such paired braces, band means are anchored thereto and adaptedto snugly engage about a body member of a user, generally on'oppositesides of a joint being supported and braced. Each brace preferablyincludes at least three stays. More may be included in accordance withthe degree of support required or desired. The stays areanchored infan-like arrangement to the band means, most desirably in thin sheaths.Adhesive material may be placed between the sheath panels to join themand aid in preventing dislocation of the stays. The supporter is soconstructed that it may be Worn under a skiers boot, will allow normalflexion, but will resist undesirable rotation of the foot It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications instructure and arrangement may be made to adapt this stiffener device touse at joints other than those described or shown. All such changes asfall within the spirit of this invention as defined in the claims aredeemed a part hereof.

We claim:

1. A device for protectively supporting ankles, knees and like joints,comprising: first and second juxtaposed braces each formed of aplurality of thin, stiff Wire stays medially crossed and arrangedfan-like on each side of the crossing, spaced-apart band means anchoredbetween each pair of opposed ends of said juxtaposed braces and adaptedto snugly engage about a users body member oppositely adjacent a jointto be supported, and means anchoring the fanned ends of said Wire staysin their fanlike arrangement, said anchoring means being capable ofpreventing said fanned ends from closing together.

2. A device for supporting ankles, knees and like joints, comprising:first and second juxtaposed braces each formed of a plurality of thin,stiff wire stays medially crossed and arranged fan-like on each side ofthe crossing, spaced-apart band means disposed between each pair ofopposed ends of said juxtaposed braces and adapted to snugly engageabout a users body member oppositely adjacent a joint to be supported,and means forming a pliable semi-rigid sheath for each brace and beingsmoothly secured to each said band means, said sheath being capable ofpreventing the fanned ends of said wire stays from closing together.

3. An ankle supporting device, comprising: attachment means for snuglyengaging, a users pedal extremity above and below the ankle joint, andfirst and second juxtaposed braces disposed on opposite sides of theankle and secured to said attachment means, said braces each beingformed of a plurality of thin stiff wire stays medially crossed andsecured fan-like on each side of the crossing by means capable ofpreventing the stay ends from closing together.

4. A device for supporting pedal portions of the human body, comprising:a pair of braces each formed of a plurality of thin stiff wires mediallycrossed and secured fan-like on each side of the crossing, by meanscapable of preventing the stay ends from closing together, means forminga heel engaging member having extensions adapted to be snugly securedacross the instep of the user, and means forming a band to snugly engagethe user in spaced relation to said heel engaging member, said bracesbeing disposed juxtaposed to each other and secured in overlappingrelation to said heel engaging member and band on opposite sides a jointadjacent the users heel.

5. An ankle supporting device, comprising: a pair of braces each formedof a plurality of thin flexible wires medially crossed and securedfan-like on each side of the crossing, by means capable of preventingthe stay ends from closing together, means forming a heel cup and havingextensions adapted to be snugly secured across the users instep, beneaththe ankle joint, means forming a collar to snugly engage the users legabove the ankle joint, and pliable sheath means encasing each brace andsmoothly secured to said heel cup and collar said braces being disposedjuxtaposed to each other on opposite sides of the ankle joint.

Eef'erences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS325,280 Smadbeck Sept. 1, 1885 605,299 Perrottet June 7, 1899 929,179Wood July 27, 1909 1,381,290 Diadul June 14, 192.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 509,569 Great Britain July 18, 1939

